Where Are The Bonhoeffers of This Generation?

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."

 

During my final year of high school I came across a book titled Ethics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. After reading through it, I knew from thereon that Bonhoeffer would be both one of my heroes, as well as keenly instrumental to my growth and understanding of what it means to live out Christ in this world.

106 years ago from this month, Bonhoeffer was born. What emerged from his life is a profound legacy which serves us today as it pertains to understanding how to live out community and Christ in our world.

Recently a dear friend of mine began reading a newly published biography on Bonhoeffer. This friend told me in reading it that he felt like he understood me better as a brother in Christ. Unbeknownst to him, that meant much to me as well as it moved me to dust off my Bonhoeffer books and read through some of the wrinkled and note-laden pages. In doing so, I came across this quote which birthed the writing of this post:

"What could be greater than to live one's life in faith before God? What could be greater than to live one's life to God in hope? Even greater is the love which lives in God. 'Walk before me' (Genesis 17:1). 'Whoever lives in love lives in God' (1 John 4:10). What is greater than the humility of faith which never forgets the infinite distance of the Creator from the creature? What is greater than the confidence of hope which longs for God's coming and longs to see God's reality? Even greater is love, for already here it is certain of God's nearness and presence everywhere. This love clings to God's love and knows that God's love wants nothing but our love. What is greater than faith which hopes for its salvation in Christ and holds fast to Christ and is justified in him? What is greater than hope which hour after hour focuses on a blessed experience of dying and a radiant homecoming? Even greater is the love that senses, the love that forgets everything for the other and even sacrifices one's own salvation to bring it to one's family. For 'whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.' (Matthew 16:25)"

Nearly every line of Bonhoeffer is quotable. And, he wrote on several subjects; from community and confession, to marriage and discipleship. He would have certainly written more, had he not been exceuted.

The West Door at Westminster Abbey: Bonhoeffer is on the far right, being one of these four Christian heroes from the 20th Century.

One of many things which is ever encouraging about Bonhoeffer was his desire to explore the body of Christ in different cultures and contexts and embrace different forms of worship. He believed Christianity to be displayed most grand before the eyes of the world only when Christians are seen as most unified with resolve to stand together in Christ, despite any differences.

Translation: "Our being Christian today will consist of two things: prayer, and righteous action among men."

(I took a year of German while in college; I'm more than a tad rusty  and it took me a half hour to translate this,so please correct me if I botched something here.)

Above all else, his legacy is one of integrity. He lived what he preached, hence the initial quote above. Distraught over his fellow brothers and sisters in Germany during World War II, Bonhoeffer found himself faced with the choice to avoid a highly probable death by concentration camp and live in the US until the war ended or return to Germany. His heart broke for his fellow man and a fear of death was alive in him no more. He returned to Germany regardless of any fatal outcome only to write these words weeks before his passing: When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.

No doubt these words are a call to release ourselves from as much selfishness as possible, but Bonhoeffer takes it to another level, a Christ-like level and lives them out in dying for the Christ who called him. Bonhoeffer was executed after recently preaching a sermon in 1945 in the Flossenbürg concentration camp during what was then Nazi Germany. Leaving this earthly home to arrive Home at only 39 years of age, Bonhoeffer validated his life, being conscious of the times, and living as if his last days could be at hand. And sure enough, they were.

One point of application that I arrive at time and again from Bonhoeffer's life is this: There will be times in our life when we are given the choice to face our fears (implying that we don't have to face them, we can ignore or run from them). In facing them, we realize these fears are bigger than us, yet also that Christ is bigger than our fears. From this, we may still have some degrees of timidty within, but because of Christ, we live as if fear has left us. And it's herein God does in a life the things he did through Bonhoeffer.

Where are the Bonhoeffers of this generation?